Ive seen patch bays btu I have no idea what they do or how they would be applied to a rig or anything? anyone?
They're basically a connect center. You connect everything to inputs, outputs or loops on the bay and then you can easily change connections without moving anything, just rearranging connections on the bay. Some can be programmed so you can call different connections without using cables.
Yep. Think of a patch bay like a telephone switchboard. Connect whatever "input" you want, to whatever "output" you want. Usually there's a "default path", like mic pre #1 always goes to input #1 on the digital recorder. But, by using a patch cord, you can "over-ride" the default pathway. Patch bays are a "must have" for any serious studio, say anything that tries to do 8 tracks at a time, like if you're recording live drums or something. Sure beats the heck out of reconfiguring your backplane every time you need to change a patch.
